The Buffalo Sabres were expected to be a team in the seller category after starting the season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, but the Sabres surge since December has them in position to end their 14-year playoff drought, which has made GM Jarmo Kekalainen re-evaluate the club’s options.
Based on the Sabres positioning themselves to be in the top three of the Atlantic Division, it seems highly unlikely that they will deal pending unrestricted free agent winger Alex Tuch, but in the days leading up to the NHL trade deadline on March 6, there are a number of potential trade options on the table for Kekalainen that make sense.
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Speculation has seemed to focus on the Sabres investing in defensive depth on the right side with Michael Kesselring sidelined numerous times this season, and Conor Timmins recovering from a broken leg. One report in The Athletic earlier this week pondered the possibility of Buffalo trading for veteran Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy. Another possibility that fits the job description of what GM Jarmo Kekalainen may be looking for is Winnipeg Jets blueliner Luke Schenn.
Schenn is a two-time Cup winner with Tampa Bay who has played for 10 NHL clubs since being selected fifth overall by Toronto in 2008. The 36-year-old is still an effective physical defenseman and has played part-time for Winnipeg this season, after being acquired from Pittsburgh at last year’s trade deadline for a 2026 second-round and 2027 fourth-round pick.
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The Jets are well out of the playoff picture and are expected to try to recoup some of that draft capital by trading Schenn before 3 pm next Friday. The veteran defenseman is in the final year of a two-year deal making $2.75 million, making his salary easier to fit under the salary cap than Murphy’s $4.4 million AAV with Chicago. The likely cost for a rental defenseman, even a righty, is a third-round pick, which is a cost the Sabres are more willing to accept since they are without their second-round pick from the Dylan Cozens – Josh Norris deal.
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